//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Small Choices // by Shardi //------------------------------// Fate is a funny concept. There are as many ponies trusting in it, as there are those who snort and turn their heads away at the mention of so-called ‘destiny’. Their lives are in their hooves only after all, right? Every single choice they make brings about the reality that shapes their path, for better or worse. But if we introduce the concept of fatalism into the mix, it all goes blurry - how can you know the choices you made aren’t just a part of pre-calculated plan fate has for you? Are even the biggest decisions in your life truly yours alone? What happens when others make those decisions for you? *** Manehatten, the city of opportunity, or so the saying goes, at least. While there’s no solid proof for the legitimacy of such claim, it doesn’t stop droves of ponies from arriving by road, boat, or rail, with starry eyes and high hopes, looking to leave their marks. Most of them end up leaving plenty, not always in the right places. It’s one of Equestria’s bustling metropolises, and while the royal city of Canterlot might hold most prestige, the urban jungle is the first step on many ponies’ journey towards the mountainside capital. That’s usually the case, at least, but for a certain young mare, the situation happened to be quite the opposite. The train rolled smoothly down its rails, clacking and huffing noisily as it steadily made its way towards its destination, the wagons it pulled carrying all sorts of ponies. Aboard one of them, in the small, albeit tidy and lavish first-class room sat three ponies, two of which were currently engaged in a polite while lively discussion. One of them, a gray coated stallion tapped his foreleg on the hoofrest, leaning forward as he spoke. “I didn’t stop you so far and I don’t intend to attempt it now, dear. You know you have both mine and your mother’s full support, although I cannot say why you remain so adamant about this. I assure you, Canterlot would provide anything and everything young mare like yourself might need, especially with your education and pedigree.” Opposite of him sat a much younger mare that might as well be carbon copy of the stallion, save for lack of a horn sticking out of her well-groomed mane. She bowed her head slightly, eyes closing momentarily as she mentally sighed. They’ve had this discussion on numerous occasions, ever since she first revealed her intentions, several weeks ago. “That’s exactly it, father. I do not wish to belittle our family name, but rather build on it. When ponies hear the name ‘Melody’, they think of yourself and mother, and all the achievements of your forefathers.” She spoke calmly and steadily, her voice carrying a noticeable accent. “What good would it be if I simply rode on the coattails of my lineage? I wish to add my own accomplishments to the list, build my own prestige in addition to my heritage, rather than stay in its shadow.” The gray mare reiterated, as she has done many times before. But regardless of how many times she explained her intent, her father continued to challenge it. “And while I might understand and accept that, I simply do not see why you have to leave Canterlot for this purpose. It was more than enough for me when I was your age.” He nickered, resting a hoof on the small counter that separated them. “Or why you refuse to allow your mother and I to at least provide for you while you’re away.” He shook his head lightly in exasperation, and feeling a light tap on his shoulder, turned to look at his wife - an earth pony of much lighter coat and a pleasant smile. “Presto, darling, I assure you Octavia will be fine. I’ve personally made sure that her apartment will be in a reputable neighbourhood, and affordable enough for her to split the rent without having to worry about exhausting her savings for at least a few months.” She attempted to calm her husband’s irritation, as she ofttimes did. “And from the sound of the letters I received from the building’s management, her roommate is a charming young mare herself, just like our dear daughter. It’s going to be a good experience for her.” Her words came out in a soft but firm voice. She leaned in with a smile and gently nuzzled the stallion’s cheek in attempt to placate her spouse, to which he only let out a flustered sigh. “That’s another thing entirely - why should our daughter have to share an apartment? At least let us cover that, and you won’t need to expose yourself to… Uncertain elements.” challenged again, putting emphasis on the last two words. The charcoal maned mare bit her tongue, growing more frustrated with the conversation as it went on. “Because I wish to provide for myself, father. I have given it a lot of thought and I believe it’s the correct way to go. I promise you that if I struggle, I’ll return home. But please, just let me at least try my own way.” Her tone made it clear the discussion was over and she turned towards the window, watching the hills and fields roll by as her father fixed Octavia with a stern look before sinking back into the seat beside his wife, accepting his defeat. If nothing else, the young mare was stubborn. Still, that did little to dispel his worries. *** The noon was barely approaching when the large steel beast finally rolled into a halt at one of Manehatten’s many train stations and ponies began spilling out from their cars, each hurrying in whichever direction that needed to take care of personal business or greet their friends and relatives. The platform wasn’t terribly crowded, as the station was located closer to the suburbs of the large city rather than downtown. Most passengers remained in their seats, as the train was scheduled to continue on to Manehatten Central Station next. Octavia was part of the small crowd of disembarking ponies as she hopped out of the passenger car, her hooves landing on the cold concrete platform. Her parents followed suit, with the young mare’s bags - very modest, consisting of two small suitcases and a cello case - floating in a beige aura of Presto’s magic. The stallion looked around, lining up his daughter’s baggages neatly beside him before trotting off. “Our return train should arrive shortly, hopefully we can find a satisfactory carriage before long.” Octavia groaned inaudibly, walking beside her mother as they followed Presto. “Satisfactory? It’s just a cab. I’m fairly certain they’re all but identical, dad.” “Knowing Presto, you’re in luck we’re so short on time, else he might interview the drivers and subject them to peer review.” The older mare smiled, her smirk only growing wider as the unicorn threw her a glance over his shoulder, still weaving between the crowd of ponies, making for a row of yellow wagons by the street. “Finicky as he can be, your father only wants the best for you, Octavia.” The gray earth pony let out a defeated sigh, nodding her head faintly. For as long as she could remember, Presto had been very protective of her, even to the point of being overbearing. But he was never a bad father, making sure his daughter received the best treatment and education Canterlot had to offer. Even if Octavia’s decision to pursue music career was strongly affected by the nature of her family’s business, she was anything but unhappy with being a musician. The two mares reached one of the cabs just as Presto was finishing levitating his daughter’s luggage in the back, making sure it was secure before turning to his family. “I’ve already given the good stallion the address, as well paid him more than enough for the fare, so you don’t need to worry about it, dear.” Octavia simply rolled her eyes, an act luckily missed by her father as he glanced at the large clock on the station’s wall. “Our train should be here within the next ten minutes.” The older mare leaned in, nuzzling her daughter’s cheek softly. “I suppose that’s it then. Take care of yourself Octavia. We’ll visit in a couple of weeks to see how you settled in.” As she moved back with a warm smile, Presto’s foreleg wrapped around the gray pony’s neck, pulling her into a loose hug. “And remember, if anything happens, just give us a call. I’ll take care of everything.” He said giving her a small squeeze, causing the young mare to groan, her cheeks flushing light pink. She threw a glance towards the carriage pony, and thankfully he was courteous enough to look away and pretend to ignore the public display of affection. Octavia hopped into the wagon, waving goodbye to her parents one last time before the burly looking stallion nickered and moved, pulling the wagon behind him, bumping slightly as it moved down the road and away from the train station. The cellist watched as the couple quickly shrunk and disappeared into the crowd before she fell back against the couch, letting out a small sigh. She took a moment to look closer around the carriage - it was much smaller than the ones she was used to in Canterlot, with only room for perhaps two ponies. Not as lavish either, although far from repulsing. The best word Octavia could come up with to describe it was practical. Content with her gently rocking ride, she shifted her attention to the streets and buildings they passed as the carriage puller moved with a familiarity of pony who spent their entire life in this big city. The gray cellist herself had only been in Manehatten once before, when she was much younger. She might have grown since then, but the bustling metropolis remained as awe inspiring and intimidating as she remembered it. The buildings were much taller and more tightly packed than the ones in Canterlot, and - save for the ground level, which was filled with various shops and boutiques - as unassuming as her carriage. Although they were all well maintained, it was clear that Manehatten ponies had a much more pragmatical approach to their lives than the wealthy inhabitants of the royal city. She frowned slightly at that. Octavia might have grown tired of the opulent life of Canterlot, but it didn’t stop her from longing for its familiarity. *** “We’re here, ma’am.” The gray pony’s ear flicked, head turning at the announcement of her driver. They stopped in front of a medium height building, its facade mostly white, save for the accent of loggia style balconies facing towards the small park on the other side of the street. It looks rather pleasant, Octavia admitted as she hopped out of her carriage and thanked the puller before moving to the back to reclaim her luggage. She managed to pull one of the suitcases off, setting it down on the sidewalk and was about to retrieve the second one and her cello case before they glowed light blue, lifting up. “Let me help you with that, miss.” Came a low voice from behind her, the surprise almost making Octavia jump before she spun around, ready to face the would-be thief. Instead of a common street swindler that her father warned about however, in front of her stood a well built unicorn stallion with a brown coat and a dark shirt. The cellist’s eyes widened from the startle, to which the stranger only smiled meekly. “We do not have a luggage colt, but I figured you might need a little help with this.” He said, resting her cello and suitcases on a small luggage cart. “I assume you’re a new tenant?” Shaking off the initial surprise, the cellist smiled politely, gently bowing her head. “Yes indeed. Octavia Melody, pleased to meet you, and thank you for the help.” “You’re welcome miss. My name is Stern Eye, I’m the guard at the complex, if you ever have any issues, come straight to me. Well then, shall we?” He said turning around towards the building, letting Octavia pass. She nodded at him politely, trotting towards the large glass door. Just as she was about to reach out a hoof to nudge them open, the same light blue aura wrapped around the door handlebar and pushed it open for her, letting the mare into the building’s lobby. Just as its outside, the apartment complex’s entrance lobby was fairly modest, but elegant. A couple of sofas occupied one corner, along with a small coffee table with various colorful magazines spread across it in a messy pile. To Octavia’s right was a small nook with several more luggage carts for the tenants to use. Across from her was a long desk, with a teal coloured unicorn sitting behind it. Her hooves were crossed on top of the surface, head resting atop them as her golden eyes tracked the newcomer from across the glass door, sitting upright and perking her ears up when the gray mare approached, welcoming her with a smile. Octavia walked up to the receptionist, her luggage cart coming to a halt beside her as Stern moved to his own seat on the opposite end of the desk, giving the cellist a nod before returning to watching the security monitors. She turned back towards the clerk, the unicorn mare was wearing a white formal shirt with a small name tag reading Lyra Heartstrings on it “Hello! I see you’re moving in, so let me welcome you, and I hope you enjoy your new apartment! May I please ask for your name?” She greeted Octavia, her voice young and cheerful. She couldn’t have been much older than the earth pony. “Melody, Octavia.” The cellist obliged, returning the courteous smile. Lyra nodded, firing up her magic and tapping a couple keys on the computer. “Ah, yes, there we go… Oh! Your apartment number is 304.” She chuckled lightly. Octavia raised a brow, but didn’t peruse what exactly the unicorn found funny about her apartment. “Well then, I’m just going to need a proof of identity real quick before I give you your keys.” Octavia nodded, reaching into her saddlebags and quickly procuring her ID, placing it on the table and pushing the little piece of plastic towards the receptionist. The unicorn picked it up, examining it briefly before levitating it back towards the gray pony. “Just one more thing then, a moment please.” Lyra stated as she got up and walked up to a cabinet by the wall behind the desk, opening it and after a short moment levitating a key along with a piece of paper back to the cellist. “Just need you to sign here to confirm you received your keys and… Here you go!” She chirped, dropping the key into the other mare’s waiting hoof as soon as she finished the formality. Octavia put the key in her saddlebag along with her ID as the teal unicorn levitated the now finished form back into its place in the cabinet. “You’re now officially a resident! Well, as long as you pay the rent on time, but hopefully that won’t be an issue. Feel free to use the cart to bring your luggage up, but please make sure to return it as soon as you’re done.” Lyra beamed, waving a hoof to point Octavia towards the elevators. The cellist thanked the mint colored mare and pushed her luggage towards one of them, pressing a button to call the elevator. The ride to the third floor was smooth and quick, and before she knew it, Octavia was standing in front of the door number 304. She fished out the key from the saddlebags and turned it, pushing the door open. The first thing she saw were boxes. A lot of them. Then a loud crash, making the gray mare wince as a bunch of books and CD cases spilled across the floor when a white mare apparently tumbled over one of the cartons as soon as Octavia flung the door open. The mess of white fur and blue mane groaned in exasperation, picking herself up and scooping some of her possession back into a pile with a flick of her horn. “Celestia’s kickers, you startled me…” She finally looked up at Octavia, canting her head before her ears perked up, understanding flashing across her face. “Ah! You must be Octavia!” The white unicorn exclaimed, trotting up to the cellist and reaching out her hoof. Not a greeting she was used to, but nevertheless Octavia shook her hoof, to which the stranger grinned widely. “Name’s Vinyl Scratch, guess we’re gonna be roommates for some time from now on. I gotta say, you’re not as intimidating as your name made you sound.” Vinyl chuckled, letting go of the gray pony’s hoof. “Intimidating? Whatever do you mean?” Octavia asked, feeling like she’s missing the joke. Her name was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? The unicorn smirked again. “Well, yeah. Have you ever said it out loud yourself? You could totally pass for some royalty. Octavia, the Princess of Melody.” She stated dramatically, waving her hoof in the air for added effect. She glanced behind Octavia at her baggage, noting the large instrument case. “Though I see I nailed at least one part of that. But is this really all you brought with you?” The cellist smiled politely, nodding her head as she took a second, closer look at the other mare. Her coat was a slightly off-color white, and her two-toned blue mane and tail were in need of a good brushing and, as Octavia surmised, dyed. The stranger’s eyes gave her a bit of a pause. They were deep ruby red, an unusual color, but one that complimented Vinyl rather well. “Yes, I only packed the necessities and some things I'd need for the first month or so, I assumed I’d simply purchase anything else I require in the city.” The cellist answered, pulling the cart through the doorway. Vinyl rubbed the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. “Well, now you’re making me feel silly for hauling all this junk over here.” She snickered, motioning to the several boxes stacked by the wall behind her, along with the crushed remains of what apparently housed her books and music collection. “Not at all. In fact, I probably should have brought more with me myself.” She stated, pulling her bags from the cart before carefully settling the cello case down beside a wall. “Would save trouble and bits in the long run, but I opted for the convenience. Too much baggage is rather bothersome when traveling. Unless, of course… ” Octavia glanced at the unicorn’s horn, to which Vinyl only smiled lightly. “I s’pose, levitation is almost cheating when you think about it.” The cellist nodded, pushing the cart out the door again. “I need to return this downstairs, I’ll be back momentarily.” “Sure thing.” Octavia retrieved her key from the lock, trotting down the hall with the cart in tow. Well, you got what you asked for, she thought to herself, pressing the button and watching the door close before the metal box shook slightly and began to descend. From now on, you’re on your own.